Tent office



T. K. AUSTIN (No Model.)

SPRING MOTOR.

No. 800,753. Patented June 24, 1884.

ilnrrnn STATES Parana @rrrcn.

THOMAS K. AUSTIN, OF NE\V YORK, N. Y.

SPRING-MOTOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 300,753, dated June 24, 1884.

Application filed April 30, 1884.

To all" whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS K. Ausrrn, of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Spring-Motors; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use it, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in spring-motors; and it consists in the combination of the main shaft, a series of ratchetwheels, which are placed loosely thereon, and to which the operating-springs are connected, suitable ratchet-wheels, which are rigidly attached to the shaft, spring-actuated pins, which are attached to the ratchet to which the springs are fastened, suitable tappets, which are operated by the pins, and lifters for releasing the pawls which engage with the large ratchetwheels 011 the driving-shaft, as will be more fully described hereinafter. p

The object of my invention is to construct a spring-motor for operating machinery, and

in which a number of springs are used, and

all of which are connected to the main shaft in such a manner that they are alternately made to exert their power in driving'the shaft.

Figurel is a side elevation of a machine embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is an end view. Fig. 3 is a detail view.

0 represents the driving-shaft, to which all of the springs are applied, and to one end of which is applied the lever Y, provided with a suitable pawl for engaging with the ratchetwheel Z, for the purpose of winding the springs up. Applied to this shaft 0 are any number of large ratchet-wheels, A, which have their hubs 13 cast entirely upon one side, and which hubs are of sufficient width to allow flat springs of suitable lengths and widths to be coiled or wound upon them. These ratchet-wheels A k and their hubs are placed loosely upon the shaft, so that the shaft can revolve freely in one direction without affecting any of them.

' Secured rigidly to the shaft 0, beside each ratchet-wheel A, is a small ratchet-wheel, D,

with which thepawl E, which is carried by (No model.)

the large ratchetwheel A, engages. When the shaft 0 is revolved in one direction, these small ratchet-wheels D compel the large ratchet-wheels A to revolve with them and thus wind up the springs, which are fastened at their outer ends to the side of the frame. Each one of the large ratchet-wheels Ais pro vided with a pawl, F, which is pivoted, as here shown, upon the rod l/V, and which pawls prevent the springs from recoiling when the lever Y is drawn back for a freshhold upon the shaft. WVere it not for these pawls the ratchct-wheels would run backward and permit the springs to uncoil as fast as they were wound up. The pawl F of the first ratchetwheel of the series must be lifted by hand in starting the machine; but this one alone is operated by hand. These pawls may be pivoted either upon the rod W or any other part of the frame.

Extending parallel with the shaft XV is aseries of short rock-shafts, R, and 011 each one is formed or placed a lifter, L, for each pawl F, and a tappet, H, for each ratchet-wheel A. A single long rod may be used, and on this rod will be loosely placed sleeves, on which the tappets and lifters will be formed or secured. The tappet and lifter for each ratchetwheel are-formed separately from the tappets and lifters'for the other wheels, because they are each to move alternately when the machine is being driven, and not together except when the springs are being wound up. The lifters L are so placed in relation to the pawls F that when the rod or shaft R is caused to rock these lifters will raise the pawls F upward out of contact with the teeth of the ratchet-wheels A, and thus allow the wheels A to revolve. The tappets H project down beside the top edge of each of the ratchetwheels A, and are only brought into play alternately as each of the springs in its turn be comes unwound, and then the tappets H serve to operate each lifter L in its turn for the purpose of lifting its pawl pins I forced backward, so that their free ends I there will be journaled in the frame a suitawill not project through the ratchet-wheel A far enough to operate the tapp ets H. As each spring uncoils and has nearly exhausted its power in expanding from the position it was in when wound up, the inner edge of its outer coil strikes against the outer side of the flat spring M, and forces the pin I inward through the ratchet-wheel, so that as the ratchet-wheel A revolves this pin will strike against the under side of the tappet H, and thus force it forward and upward. Upon the lower end of this tappet H is-formed a hook, detent, or projection, K, which catches over the pin I, and prevents the wheel from turning any farther. This tappet H then serves to hold the wheel A in position, while the shaft continues to be turned. As soon as the ratchet-wheel A is released from its pawl it begins to revolve by the action of its spring, and when the spring ceases to effect it the wheel will be caused to revolve by its friction with the shaft, which continues to revolve by the impetus of the next wheel A. r If the wheel A were not thus prevented from revolving, the pin I would pass beyond the end of the tappet, and then the tappet would fall, and with it the lifter, the result of which would be that the pawl of the second ratchet-wheel would return to its normal position in contact with its wheel A, and thus stop the machine. A means for keepmachines and machinery of allkinds.

ing the pawls F in a raised position after they have once become disengaged is absolutely necessary, and this is the part performed by the hook K. As before explained, as each tappet H is forced forward and upward by the pin I, it turns the shaft or rod R, and thus operates the lifter L, so as to raise the pawl F out of contact with the next wheel, and thus release that spring, so that it will take up the movement of the shaft 0 and continue it. In

this manner one spring after the other is made to exert its power upon the shaft 0 until all of them have been brought into play. By turning the shaft or rod It so that the lifters will release the pawls F, they can again be brought into contact with their respective ratchet-wheels. In order to lift all of thel pawls F at the same time for the purpose of returning them to their normal position, which is necessary to the rewinding of the springs, i

ble' shaft, 0, which is provided with an arm, T, for each tappet H. These arms catch under the tappets and raise all of them up at the same time when the shaft 0 is turned. When the shaft 0 is turned toward the front of the machine, all of the'tappets H will be raised by the arms T to release the pins I, so that they can pass on beyond the hook K. Then by turning back the shaft 0 again all of the tappets H will fall, causing all of the lifters L to be removed from under all of the pawls F, which fall and again engage with their ratchet-wheels.

At one end of the motor is afriction-wheel, Q, with which the brake P can be made to engage by means of the lever P. This lever I is provided with a pawl and ratchet, so as to hold the brake in any desired position.

This motor is intended for driving sewing- It will readily be understood that there can be an indefinite number of springs applied to the driving-shaft Gin the manner described, so that when the motor is wound up it can be made to run any desired length of time.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. In a motor, the combination of the shaft 0, the ratchet-wheels A D, and pawls E F with I Y the springs,the spring-actuated releasing-pins,

and the lifters, substantially as shown.

2. In a spring-motor, the combination of the ratchet-wheels A D, spring-actuated pins I, which are released by the uncoiling of the driving-springs, and the tappet H, provided with a hook or catch upon its end for holding the ratchet-wheel A while the pawl F is out of contact with it, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination of the shaft 0, the ratchwheels A D, and pawls E F with the-springs, the releasing-pins, the tappets, the lifters, and the arms for lifting the tappets so as to release the pins, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALFRED BICCAR'JFHY, SPENCER O. DOTY. 

